Two plead guilty in shooting death of uncle of rapper Wiz Khalifa

June 19, 2015 12:00 AM

KDKA

Two plead guilty in shooting death of uncle of rapper Wiz Khalifa

By Lexi Belculfine / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A criminal homicide charge against a Pittsburgh man was withdrawn Tuesday in the 2014 slaying of the uncle of rapper Wiz Khalifa, and two other men pleaded guilty in his death last week, according to court records.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony Mariani withdrew charges of homicide and robbery against Paul Sanders, 21, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony drug and drug-related conspiracy charges in the case.

Although the judge sentenced him to nine to 18 months of incarceration, Sanders already had served 510 days before being paroled and placed on probation for three years, court records show.

Sanders’ attorney, Ralph Karsh, said, “Mr. Sanders was never involved in a homicide, and in my opinion, never should have been charged with homicide.”

Investigators said Michael Wolford, 21, of Braddock, and Jaron Young, 19, of Penn Hills, met Imani Porter, who was 20 at the time, in the Steak ’n Shake parking lot at the Waterfront on Jan. 10, 2014.

When Mr. Porter put heroin on the center console of the car they were in, Young said, “Let me get this one for free.”

And then Wolford’s gun went off. Mr. Porter died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Prosecutors said Sanders had driven Wolford and Young there, but, according to preliminary hearing testimony, Sanders was not in the car during the shooting.